At its 11th meeting, the UNCSD Bureau: discussed documents under preparation for PrepCom II; finalized the organization of work for PrepCom II; considered the timeline for preparing and negotiating the outcome document of the Conference; and learned that a representative from Brazil, the host country, would announce the official dates of UNCSD during PrepCom II.
16 February 2011: At the 11th meeting of the UNCSD Bureau, discussions focused on: preparations for the second meeting of the UNCSD Preparatory Committee (PrepCom II), which will take place from 7-8 March 2011, in New York, US; proposals for preparing the outcome document of the Conference; host country preparations; and the participation of UN agencies and Major Groups in PrepCom II.
During the 16 February 2011 meeting of the Bureau for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio 2012), Sha Zukang, Conference Secretary-General, briefed the Bureau, noting that: the new website of the UNCSD is complete; the Trust Fund has grown and will be able to support the participation of several developing countries; some countries (Brazil, China, Denmark, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Republic of Korea and Monaco) intend to organize meetings in preparation for the UNCSD, while regional commissions are preparing regional PrepComs; and the updated Synthesis Report issued for PrepCom II incorporates statements made during the first intersessional meeting and the input of five countries (in addition to those who contributed to the preliminary Synthesis Report issued in January 2011). In addition, the updated Synthesis Report includes a new “way forward” section, outlining areas where views converge and where further discussion is needed. Also being prepared for PrepCom II is a report on benefits, risks and challenges related to the green economy. This is a joint effort of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Sha said.
On the organization of work for PrepCom II, the Bureau made several decisions, including that: during the opening session Brazil would inform participants about its preparations as host country; only country groupings would be able to speak during the opening session, not individual countries, although they may distribute written statements; and no contact groups will be established.
On the outcome document of the UNCSD (referred to as “future course of action”), the Bureau discussed four proposals on the timing for preparing a “zero draft” and beginning negotiations.
On host country preparations, Brazil’s representative indicated that, during PrepCom II, it would announce the official dates for PrepCom III and the Conference itself. The Bureau welcomed Brazil’s proposal to schedule a gap of a few days between PrepCom III (the final PrepCom) and the Conference, to allow for side events and partnership activities. The Government of Brazil plans to locate the venues for side events near the Conference venue to ensure Major Groups’ engagement, the representative said.
The Bureau discussed concerns that UN agencies and Major Groups had been denied the opportunity to speak during the first intersessional meeting and emphasized the importance of their engagement during PrepCom II, suggesting that representatives be encouraged to speak as well as circulate written statements during the session.
Finally, the Bureau suggested postponing the second intersessional meeting to late November or mid-December 2011, due to the General Assembly’s schedule in November. [Minutes of 11th Meeting of the UNCSD Bureau] [New Website for Rio 2012] [Organization of Work for PrepCom II]